Michael Bitzer's stellar junior season may not have gotten Bemidji State back to the NCAA tournament, but it may be enough to earn him a major consolation prize.
Bitzer and Minnesota Duluth's Hunter Miska are among the five finalists for the Mike Richter Award, awarded annually to the nation's top goaltender.
The other finalists are Tanner Jalliet of Denver, Cal Peterson of Notre Dame and Charles Williams of Canisius.
| Name | School | Year | Minutes | W-L-T | GAA | Save% | Shutouts | Saves |
| Michael Bitzer | Bemidji | Junior | 2355:22 | 22-14-3 | 1.71 | .932 | 6 | 912 |
| Tanner Jaillet | Denver | Junior | 1982:25 | 24-5-4 | 1.82 | .930 | 0 | 799 |
| Hunter Miska | Duluth | Freshman | 2068:36 | 24-4-5 | 2.23 | .917 | 5 | 856 |
| Cal Peterson | Notre Dame | Junior | 2191:55 | 21-11-5 | 2.14 | .928 | 6 | 1007 |
| Charles Williams | Canisius | Senior | 2009:57 | 21-7-5 | 1.82 | .943 | 6 | 1016 |
Bitzer was named the WCHA's Player of the Year after backstopping the Beavers to a regular season title.
The Moorhead native leads the nation in goals-against average and is also a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Miska has enjoyed less statistical success, but led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the NCHC and their first NCHC tournament championship.
Previous winners include UMass-Lowell's Connor Hellebyuck, North Dakota's Zane McIntyre and Boston College's Thatcher Demko, all of whom are currently playing in either the NHL or AHL.
Established in 2014, the award sponsored by Let's Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation, and is named for former University of Wisconsin goaltender Mike Richter.
Richter spent two seasons with the Badgers before spending 14 seasons with the NHL's New York Rangers.
He finished his career as the franchise's all-time leader in wins with 301, a record that was later surpassed by Henrik Lundqvist, and won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994.
Statistics courtesy of Let's Play Hockey
